October 19, 2008	Sunday	Shawwal 19, 1429

PARIS, Oct 18: A former head of French police intelligence demanded on Saturday the return of secret diaries that allegedly contain details about President Nicolas Sarkozy’s private life.

Yves Bertrand, the former head of the General Intelligence (RG) service, said he had hired an attorney to prepare his defence after Sarkozy sued him over the notebooks, whose contents were published by Le Point magazine.

“I am the victim in this affair,” Bertrand said, adding that he “will develop a defence strategy next week” with his lawyer Basile Ader.

“My notebooks were stolen,” he said, adding that the diaries were “in theory under judicial seal”. “They were under the protection of the justice system and they ended up in the public arena,” Bertrand said, insisting that Sarkozy’s lawsuit “does not stand up”. Bertrand said he had taken legal steps three months ago to gain back control of the notebooks, but his request was rejected. “I will ask again,” he added.

The notebooks were seized during a raid carried out as part of an inquiry into an alleged smear campaign targeting Sarkozy. They were later leaked to Le Point. —AFP